


Sticks and Stones and Qliphoth Trees

by PlayingChello



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Angst, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda?, M/M, Mutual Pining, dead weight, no one is related because I said so, so there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-21 18:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18145697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlayingChello/pseuds/PlayingChello
Summary: “Nero, go! You’re just dead weight.”...Now it just hurts.





	Sticks and Stones and Qliphoth Trees

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Tiếng Việt available: [[V-trans] Sticks and Stones and Qliphoth Trees](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18232451) by [Chiochan103](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chiochan103/pseuds/Chiochan103)



> DMC 5 was beautiful and everything I wanted even if I hated/didn't like 99% of the actually plot details. Anyway, here's Wonderwall.
> 
> @Lulu_Minati on twitter made me write this

“Nero, go! You’re just dead weight.”

At the time, Nero hadn’t had time to really consider the implications of those words. They pissed him off, yeah. Really pissed him off. He never thought Dante would ever say something like that. Not after they fought together in Fortuna and after entrusting half of his business to him.

But now.

Now it just hurts.

How could Dante say that to him! How could he tell V to take him away like some kind of babysitter and then have the _gall_ to call him dead weight. He could have _helped_

Instead, they have no idea where Dante is, if he’s even alive, and Nero has no idea if he’ll ever see him again. And the last thing he said was to call him dead weight. And Nero called him a bastard for it.

Now he and V are working to kill some of those stupid trees so they can try and weaken Urizen and then have another go. And there’s still no sign of Dante. The managed to find Lady, but she didn’t know what happened to Dante, just that Trish was captured with her. Nero doesn’t really blame her for her almost apathetic nature, she’s probably worried out of her mind for Trish, who they also haven’t found yet.

It’s about time Nero returns to the damn tree. He’s stronger now. Nico made him all these arms and he’s used to fighting with them and without an arm when he’s all out of breakers. He can do this now. He can _prove_ he’s not _dead weight_.

Getting through the Qliphoth it messy. Not because of the demons, although they are they’re own level of mess. Moreso from all the blood. He’s sticky with it after traversing the strange world within the demonic tree. It sticks to his coat and he has to wipe his face to keep it from dripping into his eyes. No use fighting that asshole when he can’t see.

Eventually, he gets back to the center, where Urizen still sits on his throne, looking bored. It kind of pisses Nero off. But there’s no sign of Dante. No body, nothing. Unable to really think about what this could mean, he opens with some classic shit talking, and goes on the offensive. It takes him a lot of effort to wear down the shield blocking all access to Urizen. Finally, Nero brings his sword around on the shield and it shatters, giving him an opening to slash at Urizen’s hand. Urizen responds by knocking Nero back and he slides along the ground away from the demon.

“Weak mortal. Demon power does not course through your veins. Yet, you try… How dare you strike ME!?” As the demon king insults Nero, he stands and pulls himself from vines holding him attached to the Qliphoth. The world shakes as Urizen stands tall, “You will regret… being born useless and human. I will show you… your worst nightmares! I will give you… despair and death!”

Nero barely has a moment to get his feet under him before it’s an all out war. The shield is back and he has to start all over again. This time, though, Urizen is actually making an effort against him, and Nero suddenly feels very out of his depth. But he’s giving it his all anyway. He can do this he just… needs to…

Another strike from the demon king sends him flying across the ground. He doesn’t have the strength to rise again before tendrils snake around his body and lift him as he tries to struggle. The tendrils tighten enough that Nero feels like his chest might get crushed. That he can’t breathe.

“Merely human. Petulant mortal flesh. Cursed… the moment you were brought into this world.” As Urizen taunts him with words of his weakness, the tendrils holding him tighten even further, crushing him until all he can do is scream with the pain of it.

Suddenly, as if from heaven above, something comes crashing down and severs the vines holding Nero. He coughs deeply, sucking in newfound air. By the time he catches his breath and manages to push himself up a bit, Urizen is talking again. “Who dares interfere?” And before him… _floats_ a demon, one that Nero doesn’t recognise but finds it to be oddly familiar all the same.

“What creature dare stands against a king!?”

The demon moves and there’s something… something…

_Dante_

“It can’t be.” Nero pauses, still unsure of himself, but the demon before him couldn’t be anyone else. “Dante, you son of a bitch… I knew you couldn’t be killed that easily!”

For just a moment, Nero feels hope. Something surging through him. Maybe they actually can do this. But his body is failing and he can’t hold himself up anymore. “Hey, he’s all yours. But don’t let it become a habit.”

Nero barely has a few moments more before the world goes dark as he collapses back into the ground.

\--

Nero wakes slowly in the familiarity of the Devil May Cry van. The couch isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but Nero has woken up sprawled across it often enough that it feels normal. At least until he tries to move and realises how _sore_ he is.

“He’s awake!” That’s Nico. Her drawl is recognisable from anywhere. Loud, expressive, grating on Nero’s barely awake ears.

He closes his eyes and waves an arm in the direction of her voice. “Hey, I’m sleeping here, shut up.”

“Good to see you none the worse for wear, kid.”

Nero’s eyes snap open and he’s suddenly very awake. That’s Dante’s voice. That means Dante… Dante is here. In the van. Nero ignores the protestations of his muscles and joints after the beating he went through and turns over, sitting up only long enough to push himself up to standing so he can _punch Dante in his stupid hard abs_.

“Nero-” The soft, deep sound of V admonishing him for his sudden temper.

But Nico quickly rounds him up and pushes him out of the van door. “Better leave ‘em to it, trust me.”

“You mother _fucker_!” Nero’s’ whole attention is on Dante, having barely even noticed the exchange between Nico and V. The van door closing doesn’t even make it through his brain. All that matters is that Dante is standing before him and he is seeing red.

Dante has the nerve to hold his hands up like he’s done nothing wrong, “Hey, slow down there, slugger. You took quite the beating.”

Nero throws another punch, but Dante catches it this time, so he goes to use his other arm, but apparently someone relieved him of his breakers while he was out so it just results in his stump moving awkwardly. “You _asshole_! You’re just going to stand there and act like you didn’t call me dead weight before we had to come save your ass!” Dante’s expression changes subtly, but Nero is too angry to care. “It’s been a _month_! We didn’t know if you were alive and then you show up out of nowhere and act like everything is _normal_?” Nero wrenches his fist out of Dante’s grasp and goes for yet another punch, and this time it connects. Dante doesn’t even try to stop him.

“You don’t get it, Nero. This isn’t just another demon king. It’s… personal. For me.”

“And you don’t think it’s _personal_ for me!?” he holds up the stump of his arm for emphasis, proving just how personal it is. That thing took his arm and he wants it back.

“It’s too much for you, Nero. I can’t have you getting in the way.” There might have been more that Dante wanted to say, but Nero wouldn’t let him anyway.

“No, instead you’ll just call me _dead weight_ and treat me like some kid again! I thought you trusted me. What the fuck is all this?” Nero gestures to the van, the one that has the sign emblazoned on the outside. The sign Dante had sent him some time back, to help him out.

There’s a long pause in which Dante doesn’t answer. Every moment that passes in quiet has Nero’s anger rising in heat. Dante just doesn’t care and never has. He must have just entertained Nero in Fortuna because it was convenient or something. Obviously he doesn’t matter, why would he ever have even considered that he did?

“I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Dante’s voice is deathly quiet. And Nero can’t even be positive he heard him correctly. He’s stock still and suddenly the silence between them feels like a chasm. There’s a physical force keeping Nero from bridging the gap that suddenly feels like so much.

Nero’s mouth flops dumbly for a moment. Finally he manages to get a sound out that sounds kind of like a word. “What?”

Another pregnant silence fills the space and Dante closes his eyes and rubs a hand over his face. “I know what that _thing_ is and it’s too much for you.” Nero can feel his temper rising but Dante continues before he can start yelling again. “It’s probably too much for me.”

That stops Nero short. Takes all the wind out of his sails. _Nothing_ is too much for Dante. Hearing him admit his own weakness is… Nero can’t even say what it is. It feels wrong. Like that feeling when you meet your idol and they turn out to be really shitty. But more… disparaging. This is _Dante_. This is…

Nero doesn’t even think. He just moves. Everything is instinct. He takes a step, and another, and then he’s pressed right up against Dante and grabbing his jacket and pulling him close. His eyes are squeezed tight and he pushes his face into Dante’s.

He tastes just like Nero imagined. And so much better. And he’s _kissing him back_. Nero never would have guessed that one. Even with this random sudden confidence, he never thought it would _work_.

They get sort of lost in the kiss. Lost enough that the gravity of the situation they’re in seems to just melt away into the periphery. Dante’s hands somehow found their way to Nero’s hair, yanking at his short tresses. The slight burn from it feels nice, and Nero wants more. His own hands are still white knuckled around the soft red leather of Dante’s jacket, unable to move, just dragging the older man toward him.

Eventually, they part. Both of them panting somewhat from the exertion and intensity of their kiss. Nero finally looks up at Dante and finds an indescribable emotion in his eyes. It’s almost like… happiness?

Nero punches Dante again. Hard.

“You don’t get to call me _dead weight_ , old man.”

Dante smirks, looking entirely unphased by the punch. “Long as I can call you baby boy, instead.”

Nero will never admit how much those words affect him. Nor how his cheeks go bright red. To mask it, he instead drags himself back up to kiss Dante again.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/playingchello).


End file.
